Electric switch for portable electric lights.



B. TAUBER.

ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHTS. APPLICATION TILED 322127, 1913.

1,132,750. Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

BERNARD TAUBER, OF NEW YORK, N. NOVELTY 00., OF NEW YORK; N.

Y., ASSIGNOR T INTERSTATE ELECTRIC Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHTS.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

'Patentcd Mar. 23, 1915.

Application filed September 27, 1913. 7 Serial No. 792,089. I

T 0 all whom 2'2 may concern Be it known that I, BERNARD TAUBER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in .the county of New Yorlcand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches for Portable Electric Lights, of which the following is a specification.

The invention pertains more particularly to small electric lights of a character intended to be carried in the pocket or held in the hand while in use, and said invention rcsides more essentially in novel circuit closer mechanism adapted for such portable electric lights. 1

One object of my invention is to provide circuit closing means adapted when in one position to maintain the circuit closed indefi nitely, an'exposed slide being provided on the exterior of the battery casing and controlling by its position imparted thereto by the user of the light, the circuit through the battery casing and lamp. When the slide is moved to one position it will close the circuit and the light will be maintained until said slide is moved in an opposite direction for breaking the circuit.

The circuit closer of my invention comprises mainly a spring secured to the interior of the battery casing and having an 1nwardly bent end for contact with one of the battery terminals, and a slide guided on the wall of the battery casing carrying within the chamber of said casing a projection adapted to a seat or bend in the aforesaid spring and to, on the movement of the slide in one direction, move the inwardly bent end of the spring into contact with a battery terminal and when moved in an opposite direction permit said spring to retract from said terminal and lie close against the inner wall of the battery casing, the said projection then being within the bend or seat formed in the aforesaid s ring.

The invention admits of several modifications, and this application is not intended to be restricted to the specific details of construction further than may be required by the claims.

One of the principal purposes of my invention is to provide an inexpensive, durable.

and convenientlw operated circuit closer adapted for small portable lights, more es pecially of thekind comprising a metal casing receiving at one end the'larnp and at the other end having a hinged lid permitting the introduction of small commercial character into the casing for cooperation with the lamp.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented,-reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an edge view partly broken away and partly in section, on an enlarged scale, of a portable electric light constructed in accordance with and embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is' a V( rtical section of the same on the dotted line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through an upper portion of the same on the dotted line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a detached perspective view of the circuit making spring used in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view through a portion of the upper end of a flash light embracing a modification in the construction of the slide and in the formation of the bend at the upper end of the closing spring; Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the same onthe dotted line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the same on the dotted line 77 of Fig. 5, the closing spring being partly broken away for clearness of illustration.

In the drawings 10 designates a flattened and rounded outer sheet metal casing having at one end a'miniature incandescent electric lamp 11 and containing a battery 12 of usual commercial construction, the lower end of the casing being provided with a hinged door 13 as a means for enabling the introduction and removal of the battery. The battery 12 is provided with the usual terminals 14, 15, said terminals being usually of spring brass or other metal and the terminal 14 being extended transversely and directly engaging the center terminal 16 of the lamp, while the terminal 15 projects vertically in position to be engaged by the upper end of the contact or closing spring 17 when the latter is pressed inwardly for the purpose of completing the circuit from the battery to the lamp, said closing spring being riveted to and in electrical connection with the casing 10, and said casing being electrically connected with the terminal 14 through the lamp socket, as shown. The circuit closing'spring 17 is secured to the batteries of general inner Wall of the casing by means of a rivet 18, and at its upper end said spring is bent inwardly, as at 19, and then downwardly and outwardly, as at 20, the inner adjoining ends of the members 19, 20, constituting a contact to engage the terminal when the upper portion of the spring 1'! is pressed inwardly to complete the circuit.

The portion 19 of the spring 17 would serve alone for a suitable contact for completing the circuit, but the structure is more etficient and desirable when the spring also has the downwardly and outwardly deflected part 20, the inclined face of which serves to prevent the upper end of the terminal 15 from being caught under the portion 19 of the spring during any careless insertion of the battery 12 in the casing 10. The upper portion of the spring 17 is also formed with an inward bend, as at 21, forming a pocket at the outer side of said spring, as at 22, to receive the projection 23 carried by the slide 24 when said slide is in its inoperated position, as shown in Fig. 2. The slide 24 is preferably in the term of an elongated plate having a milled or roughened outer' face and fitting closely against the outer edge wall of the casing 10, and the projection 23 is preferably in the form of a rounded vertically elongated stud secured to the slide 24 by meaps of a rivet The rivet 2-5 extends through a slot 26 in the wall of the casing 10, and this slot is widened near its upper portion, as at 27, to admit through it a reduced portion 29 at the upper outer end of the spring 17 into a chamber or space 30 in the inner side of the slide 24 and above the rivet 25, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the use of the electric lamp shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the circuit may be closed by moving the slide 24 upwardly to carry the projection 23 connected therewith along the spring contact member 17 and against the outer upper part 29 of said spring, said projection or stud 23 being retained within the casing and acting to deflect the upper end of the circuit closing spring 17 inwardly into firm engagement with the battery terminal 15. When the slide 24 is moved upwardly to close the circuit, the

circuit will remain closed until by the man ual operation of the user said slide is moved downwardly to its normal position shown in Fig. 2. During the downward movement of the slide 24 the resiliency of the spring '17 causes the upper end of the latter to move outwardly the projection 23 moves downwardly until finally the bend 21 in. said spring is upon the projection 23 and theportion 29 of the spring has passed through the wall of the casing 10 and entered the space or chamber 30 in the inner side of the slide 24. It is of advantage to have the upper outer portion of the spring 1'! bent outwardly, as at .29, beyond the ver' tical plane of the lower portion of said spring so that said upper portion may, when the parts of the circuit closing means are in their inoperated position, shown in Fig. 2, project through the wall of the easing 10, since 'then on the movement of the slide '24 the projection 23 will be enabled to impart an extended movement-to the in wardly bent portion of the upper end of said spring and cause the same to assuredly engage the battery terminal 15 regardless of slight inclinations or variations in the position of said terminal or in the size of the battery. I cut away the outer side edges of the upper outwardly bent portion of the spring 17 so as to create a reduced portion 29 capable of entering the somewhat widened portion 27 of the slot 26 in the easing 10, the purpose being not to have said portion 27 of the slot unduly wide or extend beyond the side edges of the projection 23. The special construction of the upper end of the spring 17 and the fact that at its outer portion said end may enter the wall of the casing 10, adapt the circuit closer for eiiicient use on small battery casings.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I illustrate a modified form of my invention permitting the use of a one-piece stamped-up sheet metal slide 42 for actuating the circuit-closing spring 43, which has an inwardly bent contact member 44 and at its upper end is curved inwardly, as at 45, to form a pocket for two inwardly projecting members 46 formed on the sides of the slide 42. The sides of the slide 42 are integrally formed with ears 47 which after being inserted through guide slots 48 in the casing, are bent outwardly in opposite directions, as shown in Fig.7, 'tor the purpose of binding the slide to the easing and cooperating with the ir .ier wall of the casing and the edges of the slots 48 in guiding the. slide on the casing. The projections 46 also extend through the slots 48 and they, while primarily used as projections for forcing the spring 43 to its circuitclosing position, also aid in guiding the slide. The projections 46 on the slide 43 serve the same purpose in the operation of the mechanism as the projecti'on 23, shown in Fig. 2. The curved portion 45' of the spring 43 forms a pocket to receive the projections 46 in the inoperative position, shown in Fig. 5, of said slide. The spring43 in line with the contact member 44 extends outwardly beyond the plane of the'lower portion of the spring and is cut to extend through the slots 48 below the projections 46 on the slide, as at 49, so thatwhen the slide 42 is moved downwardly from its position shownin Fig. 5, it may ride on said portions of the spring projecting through the slots 48 and impart an extended inward movement to the contact member 44, the construction shrwn in Fig. 5

thus fulfilling the same purposes in giving an extended throw to the contact member as the construction shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 5, however, the slide 42 is moved downwardly to operate the closing spring 43, whereas in the construction shown in Fig. 2 the slide 24 is moved upwardly to actuate the circuitclosing spring.

In all the constructions hereinbefore described the slide to be operated by the user of the lamp performs its duties by a sliding movement only, the usual push button being dispensed with and the constructions being such'as to economize space within the main casing and permit the use of a battery properl fitting said casing.

bhat I claim as m invention and desire to secure by Letters l atent, is:

1. A circuit closer switch for a portable electric light comprisin a resilient m'ember secured at one end to the casing and at its other or free portion having a part. to contact with the battery terminal and adjacent thereto a concave bend the outer side of said member, and a slide on the exterior of the casing carrying rigidly therewith and within the casing a projection to lie within said pocket when the slide is in its inoperated osition and be moved against one side wall of said pocket for forcing said contact part against the bat tery terminal on the movement bf said slide toward its operated position, said casing being slotted to permit the sliding movement of said slide and projection and also to permit one end of the bend in the resilient memher to be normally projected through said casing, and said slide and projection closely engaging outer and inner surfaces of said casing.

2. A circuit closer switch for a portable electric light comprising a resilient member secured at one end to the casing and at its other or free portion having a part to con- V tact with the battery terminal and adjacent forming a pocket at thereto an inward bend forming a pocket at the outer side of said member, and a slide on the exterior of the casing carrying rigidly therewith and within the casin a projection to lie within said pocket w ien the slide is in its inoperated position and be moved against the wall of said ocket for forcing said contact part against t ie battery terminal on the movement of said slide toward its operated position, said casing being slotted to permit t e movementof said projeetion and slide and said slide havin an interior recess in line with said slot an one end of the bend in'the resilient member being normally projected through said slot and into said recess in the path of said projection.

3. A circuit closer switch for a portable electric light comprising a resilient member secured at one end to the casing and at its other or free ortion having a part to contact with the attery terminal and adjacent thereto an inward bend forming a pocket at the outer side of said member, and a slide on the exterior of the casing carrying rigidly therewith and within the casin a projection to lie within said pocket w en the slide is in its inoperated position and be moved against the wall of said ocket for forcing said contact part against t e battery terminal on the movement of said slide toward its operated position, said casing being slotted to permit the sliding movement of said projection and slide and said resilient member being at one end of the bend therein cut away to reduce its width and at such por-' tion normally projected through said slot.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 26th day of September A. D. 1913.

BERNARD TAUBER. Witnesses:

ARTHUR MARION, Cnas. C. GILL. 

